On Wednesday, Russian drones attacked a Ukrainian port city on the Romanian border, inflicting significant damage and a massive fire at facilities critical to Ukrainian grain exports.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov confirmed that about 40,000 tonnes of grain intended for African nations, China, and Israel were damaged.
Drone Attack on Ukrainian Ports
Russian drones have been reported to have caused significant damage at the Ukrainian port of Izmail as Moscow intensifies its attacks on its neighbour’s agricultural and port infrastructure following its withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal permitting Ukrainian grain exports.
Izmail, located on the Danube River directly on the border with NATO member Romania, is a crucial port for grain export from Ukraine, allowing produce to be transported by barge to the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta for further shipping.
Ukrainian officials posted a video of firefighters on ladders battling a blaze high up in a building with damaged windows. Several additional major buildings were in ruins, and spilt grain can be seen in the video footage.
According to the Russian state news agency RIA, the port and grain infrastructure that suffered damage housed foreign mercenaries and military hardware. Based on the report, a Navy ship repair yard was also targeted.
⚡️Ukraine's Danube Port damaged in Russian drone strike.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) August 2, 2023
The Russian night strike against Odesa Oblast targeted Ukraine's Danube River port of Izmail, causing substantial damage to grain warehouses and other infrastructure, the Ukrainian authorities reported on Aug. 2.… pic.twitter.com/n0iSpKrCBP
The Ukrainian Defence Ministry stated on Twitter, “Another elevator in the port of Izmail, Odesa region, was damaged by Russians. Ukrainian grain has the potential to feed millions of people worldwide.”
Kubrakov said on Facebook that the infrastructure of the Danube ports had been “devastated.” “Ukrainian grain is indispensable for the world and cannot be replaced by any other country in the coming years,” he added.
Oleh Kiper, the regional head of Odesa, said emergency services were working on the location of the latest Russian strike, and there had been no reports of casualties.
Romania Condemns Attack
A video taken from the Romanian side of the Danube around 3 kms (1.9 miles) away shows an extensive fire raging in the port area of Izmail early Wednesday.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis asserted, “Russia’s continued attacks against the Ukrainian civilian infrastructure on [the] Danube, in the proximity of Romania, are unacceptable.”
Iohannis indicated on Wednesday that the attacks near Romania were war crimes that harmed Ukraine’s “capacity to transfer food products to those in need in the world.”
Zelensky Denounces “Russian Terrorists’” Continuous Attacks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram message Wednesday morning, “Russian terrorists have once again targeted ports, grain facilities and global food security.” “The world must respond,” he urged.
Zelensky claimed that several drones hit their targets, with the most “significant damage” happening in Ukraine’s south.
Additionally, Zelensky expressed in his nightly video address that Russia’s strikes on port infrastructure demonstrate Moscow’s goal to cause a “global catastrophe” with a food market, pricing, and supplies. “In their madness, they need world food markets to collapse, they need a price crisis, they need disruptions in supplies,” he said.
Russia attacked the Port of Izmail last night
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 2, 2023
It’s Ukraine’s largest port on the Danube delta & is located just across the border from Romania (NATO member)
15% of the city’s population are Romanians & Bulgarians
Many ethnic Turks also live there. pic.twitter.com/dOfQxmONd1
Grain Deal and Russia’s Withdrawal
Before the conflict, Ukraine produced half of the sunflower oil sold globally and more than 10% of the wheat, barley and corn. Additionally, almost 70% of Ukraine’s total imports and exports were by sea, with roughly two-thirds passing through the ports of Odesa.
Under a grain deal mediated by the UN and Turkey between Russia and Ukraine, more than 33 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain and other goods were shipped last year.
However, in July, Russia completely withdrew from the deal, as Russia’s demands concerning its own exports had not yet been addressed.
Previous Attacks on Ukraine’s Port Facilities
Since abandoning the agreement, Russia has been shelling Ukraine’s ports with strikes, exacerbating the blow to the key industry. Dozens of drone and missile attacks have targeted the port of Odesa and the region’s river ports, which have been used as alternate routes in the last two weeks.
Last week, Russian drones targeted grain storage in Reni, located further up the Danube, close to Romanian territory.
Russia had attacked the port of Odesa overnight with cruise missiles, just hours after Moscow pulled out of the deal. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, air defences intercepted 31 of 36 suicide drones and all six cruise missiles launched by Russia towards Odesa and other areas in Ukraine’s south, including Mykolaiv.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry states that Russian strikes have damaged 180,000 tonnes of grain, 26 port infrastructure facilities, and five civilian vessels in just two weeks after Russia’s withdrawal from the grain pact.
With the strikes on Izmail on Wednesday, the total grain losses are estimated to be over 220,000 tonnes.